Boeing flight from US diverts to London Gatwick after emergency declared
A United Airlines passenger plane on Friday was forced to land at London Gatwick Airport after declaring an emergency.
The Boeing 787 Dreamliner plane was on its way from Chicago, US to Frankfurt Germany.
It was expected to land around 10am local time but its pilot sounded the alarm.
The pilot sent out a squawk code 7700 which signals a general emergency on board the plane.
The aircraft descended over the UK before it diverted to Gatwick Airport around 7.35am, where it was met by a fire truck and taxied to the gate, according to AirLive.
A spokesperson for United Airlines told the Metro: “United flight 907 (Chicago O’Hare – Frankfurt) diverted to London Gatwick Airport today to address a medical issue with a passenger.
“The flight was met by medical personnel on arrival in London and subsequently departed for Frankfurt.”
The incident follows a Delta Air flight that was forced into an emergency landing after pressure issues in a Boeing jet’s cabin left some passengers with bleeding eardrums, headaches and bloody noses.
Panic ensued on a US Delta Air Lines flight from Salt Lake City to Portland, Oregon, as passengers were hit by the sudden drop in pressure.
The airline said the plane was taken out of service Sunday and went back into service Monday after technicians resolved an issue that made the plane unable to pressurize above 10,000 feet, Delta said.